Derby Corp. in Chester.
Looking like a rather poor colourisation, this is in fact a recent scan of a partially degraded colour print. As I've said before, I prefer to go back to negatives, but as this presented itself a few days ago, I thought I'd run it through the scanner.
The coach is of course one of the small batch of AEC Reliances (all but one a 'grant coach') which entered the Derby municipal fleet under the management of AEC enthusiast Gerald Truran. Whilst they spent a fair proportion of their time working on former 'Blue Bus' services, the Reliances did get out and about on a fair bit of Private Hire. Derby Corporation had aquired the late lamented operator from Willington, but virtually all the rolling stock perished in a garage fire very early on in the new era, necessitating additional vehicles at short notice.
Here in the early '80s, I encountered Supreme 'Express' bodied NNN 11P at Chester's Little Roodee Coach park. All of these 'NNN' Reliances were '760 powered with 5 speed semi-auto transmission.
Derby Corp. in Chester.
Looking like a rather poor colourisation, this is in fact a recent scan of a partially degraded colour print. As I've said before, I prefer to go back to negatives, but as this presented itself a few days ago, I thought I'd run it through the scanner.
The coach is of course one of the small batch of AEC Reliances (all but one a 'grant coach') which entered the Derby municipal fleet under the management of AEC enthusiast Gerald Truran. Whilst they spent a fair proportion of their time working on former 'Blue Bus' services, the Reliances did get out and about on a fair bit of Private Hire. Derby Corporation had aquired the late lamented operator from Willington, but virtually all the rolling stock perished in a garage fire very early on in the new era, necessitating additional vehicles at short notice.
Here in the early '80s, I encountered Supreme 'Express' bodied NNN 11P at Chester's Little Roodee Coach park. All of these 'NNN' Reliances were '760 powered with 5 speed semi-auto transmission.